The Healthy People 2020 outlines a number of priority areas that key agencies in the healthcare sector need to consider if the population is to record improved medical outcomes. Different diseases and conditions are presently affecting more individuals in this country. Medical practitioners, community workers, and general physicians need to be aware of the leading health concerns and implement evidence-based interventions. Obesity is one of the health problems affecting more Americans. This report presents a detailed action plan for educating members of Miami-Dade and ensuring that positive indicators are recorded within six months.
Background
Obesity is a serious condition capable of triggering the development of other diseases, such as stroke, cardiovascular illnesses, and hypertension. Currently, around 1 in every 3 people above 18 years of age is obese (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). This problem is also noticeable in every 1 out of 6 adolescents and children (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). These revelations indicate that around 34 percent of the American adult population is obese (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). This condition is identified as a risk factor for other additional complications, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), cancers, and premature death (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Proper interventions are needed to address this concern and meet the medical needs of the wider American population.
Project Goals
To launch the intended educational project successfully, the idea of having two SMART goals is recommendable. The first one is to increase awareness about obesity in the selected community within a period of three months and guide people to understand how it triggers additional complications (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). The second goal is engaging beneficiaries to start engaging in evidence-based practices that have the potential to reduce their risks of becoming overweight or obese within three months.
Implementation Plan
An effective plan is essential to make any purposeful community health project successful. The adoption and use of social media platforms will help deliver positive results. A population-focused campaign will form the basis of the intervention. The initiative would entail the use Facebook and Instagram. Since these websites are linked and share information, the intervention will be successful and meet the demands of more people. The created Facebook page will present timely posts on the reality of obesity and some of the causes (Alonzo & Popescu, 2021). The model will be designed in such a way that links to some of the key resources in the selected community are presented. Instagram will help the implementers to present timely photographs and diagrams detailing the nature of this problem. When done effectively, members of the selected community will become informed and aware of the major issues revolving around obesity within the first three months (see Fig. 1).
During the next three months of the project, the messages will change in such a way that they will present additional guidelines for engaging in physical activities and having healthful diets. The plan will allow more followers to fast when necessary and consider the right time for engaging in exercises. Instagram will offer additional charts, graphical representations, and photographs to support the initiative (Alonzo & Popescu, 2021). The users will receive timely messages encouraging them to share some of the recorded experiences with their colleagues, friends, and neighbors.
The adoption of Social Media Best Approaches will support the project implementation plan. According to the Social Media Toolkit designed by CDC, campaigns relying on social media need to be precise and limited. The implementers will only provide short messages in a scheduled manner. This strategy is intended to encourage more people to remain engaged and seek additional information from the project (Blake et al., 2021). The fact that Instagram and Facebook share information indicate that the much needed traffic will be recorded. The planners will need to complete these activities in accordance with the proposed time-plan.
Project Justification
The potential success of the proposed project is founded on two factors. The first one is that there is a growing need for Americans to appreciate the nature of this problem. According to the Healthy People 2020, more adults in the country are at a higher risk of becoming obese or overweight (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Specifically, statistics reveal that around 34 percent of the population is affected by this health problem (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Children and young individuals have not been left behind since around 16 percent of individuals aged 1-18 years are either overweight or obese (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Past scholars have completed additional studies to examine the nature of this problem. The findings have revealed that obesity remains a major health challenge associated with the increasing burden on the medical sector (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). It is also known to disorient the overall effectiveness of the implemented care delivery systems.
Studies have gone further to identify obesity as a leading risk factor for additional diseases. People who have this heath problem would be at risk of developing heart disease, T2D, stroke, and even hypertension. Most of these subsequent conditions tend to be chronic in nature and will eventually affect the overall experiences and outcomes of the affected population. These attributes present a compelling reason for launching the intended project (Blake et al., 2021). The approach will engage more members of the American population and help them appreciate the need to address this health concern.
The second factor capable of supporting and sustaining this project is because obesity is a controllable health problem. According to the Healthy People 2020, the move to allow and guide more people to engage in physical activities could help transform the situation for the better (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). The website also reveals that individuals who consider a balanced or healthful diet will reduce their chances of developing this medical condition (Blake et al., 2021). The concept of body mass index (BMI) stands out as an effective strategy for helping people achieve their meaningful health goals. These considerations show conclusively that the proposed project is capable of engaging more people and guiding them to overcome their primary medical concerns (Voorveld et al., 2018). The success of the project will eventually deliver the much needed goal of making Americans healthy.
Selected Community
The selected community for implementing this project is Miami-Dade in Florida. This region has increased cases of obesity in comparison with the national average. It is also associated with the presence of diverse populations who could benefit from the proposed initiative. The planners will identify the available resources in the community and guide the targeted followers to access them (Obesity Action, n.d.). To achieve positive results, the project will be launched in May. Within the first three months, the intended results will have to be in line with the first objective while the remaining three will be for the second one.
Teaching Materials
Since this project revolves around the use of social media, websites and online resources will be the primary materials needed to deliver positive results. For instance, users will be provided with the links to the CDC, the Healthy People 2020, Healthiest Weight Florida, Obesity Action, and Florida Health (Obesity Action, n.d.). The inclusion of these websites will allow more people to acquire additional information on obesity and the medical conditions associated with it.
To support the effectiveness of this project, it will be appropriate to offer additional documents and self-help materials to allow more people to address their medical problems. For example, a sample pamphlet published online will empower more users and understand how they can maintain their BMIs. For instance, adults relying on the social media campaign or project will know that the ideal BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9 (Blake et al., 2021). This understanding will encourage overweight individuals to have healthy diets and increase their physical activities. The inclusion of these teaching materials will, therefore, support the project and meet the medical needs of more people in Miami-Dade.
Nursing Interventions
The realization of the outlined goals and objectives depends on the effectiveness of the nursing interventions put in place. The first approach will focus on the best ways to increase physical exercises. During the project, nursing need to develop outlined procedures for guiding obese and overweight social media users to engage in a wide range of activities. The plan needs to indicate the appropriate time during the day, the number of sessions in a week, and the best approaches to get the most from them (Alonzo & Popescu, 2021). The nurses can go further to streamline the guidelines in such a way they are personalized depending on the requests they receive from some of the social media followers.
The second nursing intervention for this project is a detailed plan for having a healthy diet. The professionals will identify the number of calories one needs to have and how to make accurate calculations. The plan will also outline the number of meals a person needs to have and the time period between each (Blake et al., 2021). The intervention could include additional items, such as the procedures for decreasing sugar and high energy foods. Such guidelines will guide more people to record the much needed outcomes.
Public and Private Partnerships
The inclusion of different private and public agencies can make this campaign sustainable and eventually deliver meaningful results. First, the major organizations and public departments in Florida will be allowed to be part of the process. Social media users will receive links to some of these stakeholders, such as Healthiest Weight Florida, Obesity Action, and Florida Health. Other key agencies will be the CDC and the Healthy People 2020. The campaign will go further to guide users to contact local hospitals, community health facilities, and social work programs (Obesity Action, n.d.). Different professionals will also be encouraged to join the campaign, such as nurse practitioners, clinicians, dieticians, and community health workers.
Timeline
Conclusion
The proposed action plan is informed by the problematic nature of obesity in the selected community. The available statistics support the implementation of evidence-based interventions to inform more people about this disease. Such beneficiaries will consider the best practices, physical engagements, and healthy diets that can help them maintain their BMIs. The involvement of key stakeholders and the use of social media platforms will make the project successful.
References
Alonzo, D., & Popescu, M. (2021). Utilizing social media platforms to promote mental health awareness and help seeking in underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10(1), 156-165. Web.
Blake, H., Watkins, K., Middleton, M., & Stanulewicz, N. (2021). Obesity and diet predict attitudes towards health promotion in pre-registered nurses and midwives. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13419-13438. Web.
Healthy People 2020 (n.d.). Nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Web.
Obesity Action. (n.d.). Florida state resources. Web.
Voorveld, H. A. M., van Noort, G., Muntinga, D. G., & Bronner, F. (2018). Engagement with social media and social media advertising: The differentiating role of platform type. Journal of Advertising, 47(1), 38-54. Web.